Caracas, March 8 (RHC-Xinhua) -- A senior Venezuelan official has called on the United States to reveal the machinations of its covert "media war" against the South American country and other progressive governments in Latin America.

Washington should "declassify all the documents on its media war against Venezuela and other Latin American countries," Venezuelan Communication and Information Minister Ernesto Villegas told participants at a conference on human rights.

Speaking at the 15th Meeting of the Network of Intellectuals and Artists in Defense of Human Rights, in Caracas, Villegas said the gathering should request the release of secret documents on Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia, El Salvador, Ecuador and Venezuela, saying they contain "important information" about U.S. operations against left-leaning governments.

The Venezuelan official cited similar documents released by the U.S. State Department that detailed Washington's efforts to undermine the democratically-elected government of Salvador Allende in Chile, in favor of military dictator Augusto Pinochet.

The minister also underscored the strength of the media in Venezuela, saying that since the ruling socialist party came to power 18 years ago, the number of media outlets has more than doubled.

The Network of Intellectuals and Artists brings together writers, journalists and academics from around the world.